Tethered vehicle control and tracking system

Abstract

A kite system includes a kite and a ground station. The ground station includes a sensor that can be utilized to determine an angular position and velocity of the kite relative to the ground station. A controller utilizes a fuzzy logic control system to autonomously fly the kite. The system may include a ground station having powered winding units that generate power as the lines to the kite are unreeled. The control system may be configured to fly the kite in a crosswind trajectory to increase line tension for power generation. The sensors for determining the position of the kite are preferably ground-based.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION[0001]This patent application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 709,187, filed on Oct. 3, 2012, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT[0002]The invention described herein was made in part by an employee of the United States Government and may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefore.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Airborne wind energy (AWE) generally refers to producing energy from wind using a tethered air vehicle (i.e. a kite). A system of this type has a significant advantage over ground based wind turbines because it can take advantage of higher altitude winds which are faster and more reliable than surface level winds. Two known methods of implementing an AWE syst...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0022]One aspect of the present invention is a kite system for generating power. The kite system includes a kite and first and second lines connected to the kite. The system further includes first and second powered winding members, wherein the first and second powered winding members reel in the first and second lines if the first and second powered winding members are actuated, and the first and second powered winding members generate power if the first and second lines, respectively, reel out due to tension being applied to the first and second lines by the kite thereby rotating the first and second powered winding members due to forces on the first and second lines. The first and second lines control the kite such that the kite tends to turn left if the first line is shortened relative to the second line, and the kite tends to turn left if the second line is shortened relative to the first line. The system further includes a device configured to determine an angular position of the kite relative to a ground surface. The device may comprise a camera and an image processing system. The kite system further includes a controller that is operably connected to the first and second pow

Problems solved by technology

Since the kite (which may resemble a glider aircraft) and its payload are relatively expensive, it is necessary to develop a sufficiently reliable control

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